This IELTS speaking practice test includes questions about studying, history, healthy lifestyles and healthcare.
If you're going to take the IELTS speaking test in the near future with IDP Education Australia or the British Council, you need to make sure and do plenty of IELTS speaking practice.
Become familar with typical IELTS speaking topics. How? Read lots of IELTS speaking test samples, like the ones here on this blog.
You'll find lots of IELTS speaking sample speaking questions with sample answers.
Most of the questions are on familiar topics. But you can practice the same topic several times to improve your vocabulary and fluency. Try recording yourself and then listening to it - what things could you improve?
To get a high band score in the IELTS test, you need good English speaking skills. You must be able to show that your spoken English meets the marking criteria for the score you need.
Studying IELTS speaking test samples with high-score model answers will help your IELTS preparation and boost your confidence when speaking on test day in front of the IELTS examiner.
Good luck with your IELTS exam preparation!IELTS Speaking Practice Test
IELTS Speaking Part 1
Work and studiesDo you work or study?
I'm a student at the moment. In my final year at university.
What do you study?
I’m studying to be an Aeronautical Engineer
Why did you choose this particular major?
It's something I've always been fascinated by, ever since I was a small child and had a toy airplane I used to play with. Then, later, I saw an amazing video about fighter jet planes, and that's when I knew what I wanted to do when I grew up. I wanted to become an engineer and work on designing airplanes and other aircraft.
What are you planning to do after graduating?
I hope to go to Australia and study there for another two years and complete a special postgraduate research course.
HistoryDo you like history?
I suppose so; it can be interesting sometimes, but it depends on the subject. I used to watch a lot of videos about old airplanes when I was younger. and they were really fascinating. But there are other types of history programs which I don't find very interesting, such as archaeological documentaries and things like that.
What did you think of the history classes you had at school?
They were pretty standard, you know, all the basic stuff about the history of the country, important events, dates, and how the country evolved. We had quite a good history teacher because she tried to make it as interesting as possible for all students.
Have you ever read a book/magazine about history?
Only the ones we had to read at school. It's not the sort of thing I would pick up and read just for fun - I prefer to read other types of articles.
Do you like historical movies that tell a true story?
Yes, sometimes, they can be good. But not all of them. For example, I watched a movie called Bridge of Spies, starring Tom Hanks. It was a really well-made movie, with lots of twists in the plot and good acting, but it just wasn't very exciting for me. I watched it because I wanted to see what happened and because it was based on a true story back in the time of the cold war between the US and Russia. But, even though it was interesting, I didn't enjoy it that much.
Tips for IELTS Speaking
- In Part 1, keep your responses short and on point.
- Lengthy answers are unnatural - so don't waffle!
IELTS Speaking Part 2
Talk about an article or a book that you have read about healthy living
You should say:- Where you read it
- Why you read it
- How it helped/affected you
Sample Answer
I recently came across a health blog that explained what you can do to heal your gut disorder and get healthy. It was very educational and included great advice for boosting gut health.
I also read the book "The Obesity Code" by Dr. Jason Fung, a very unique view on obesity and weight loss I thought the book was very interesting and made me think about dieting in a new way for sure!
Why did you read it?
I read it because as you know — who isn't intrigued to find out more about what actually causes obesity and weight gain? Dr. Fung's views were eye-opening for me - they certainly changed how I think about dieting and weight loss.
How did it help/affect you?
Well, I realized that excessive weight gain wasn't just a result of eating too many calories and not exercising enough. In fact, many genetic aspects and hormones can influence gut microbiota.
The second lesson was that it demonstrated to me the importance of taking a holistic approach when dieting or losing weight because there is no one-size-fits-all solution. Different things work for different bodies.
Most importantly it has made me more conscious about the types of foods I consume and how these might affect my weight. I still eat many unprocessed foods, but try to stick mainly with whole ones. I just bought some crumbled blue cheese this week instead of a processed salad dressing.
Would you suggest that other people read this book as well?
Absolutely, in fact, I have before and would gladly do so again. This is an amazing must-read book for anyone who wants to become a healthier and more fit version of yourself.
What was your favorite part of the book?
Personally, the best part was on gut microbiota. I thought it was fascinating how the bacteria in our gut played a role to that extent with weight and health. I'm so glad I took the time to read it all.
IELTS Speaking Part 3
HealthcareHow is healthcare promoted in your country?
Well, I can think of a couple of different ways. Probably the most common one is government health education programs, which target specific health issues in the general population. Some years ago, there were several such awareness programs targeting breast cancer in women, the need for regular exercise, and how to reduce cholesterol.
Then you have healthy marketing campaigns driven by the private sector, such as companies that have healthy products or health-related products. This covers everything from food choices to exercise equipment and suchlike.
And then there are special interest groups such as charities and foundations focused on health. A lot of these create information-based campaigns to educate the public about certain aspects of health, based on new research data or findings related to health issues in a specific sector such as children, women, seniors, etc.
And of course, schools often get involved in promoting health issues to children through special projects or events.
What is the role of the government in promoting healthcare?
I think the government should provide us with unbiased and updated information on health so we are educated and informed of health threats as and when needed.
For example, right now there is so much government talk about obesity in the population. It will have a big impact on health services now and in the future.
Same with smoking and excessive drinking. When health issues reach a critical point they directly affect health services to the public. And so they become public issues and usually accompanied by some kind of health education campaign to change people’s behavior.
Healthy Living and Personal Health
What more do you think could be done to promote healthy living in your country?
Well, honestly, most of the information on healthy living has been available to everyone for a long time now. However, it takes a long time for people to change their ingrained habits. And changing those of an entire population can take generations to achieve. Many of today's common health issues won't disappear unless people become more responsible for their own lifestyle choices.
Traditionally, there has been an attitude of going to the doctor to ‘get fixed’ once something is wrong. There has been less focus on maintaining good health as part of an overall healthy lifestyle which attempts to reduce health risks and avoid the need for medical intervention.
If people adopted more of a preventative maintenance mindset rather than a ‘fix it when it's broken’ attitude, it would make a big difference.
Change is happening, though, and there's generally a lot more awareness about health issues now. So things are improving, but there always seems to be something new to worry about.
One of the most important things is to maintain people informed about health issues that come to light. For example, most people are unaware of how unhealthy many processed foods really are. They never consider it because they have been convinced that the convenience factor of these foods was the most important thing.
Better health education might lead to people being more aware of how to lead healthier lives - and avoid many health problems.
How can individuals take more responsibility for their own health?
Yes, that’s the big question, and people need to take more responsibility for everything in their lives. As the world gets more global and people more mobile, it will be harder for governments to provide the same level of healthcare as they do now.
We can already see this in countries like the USA and UK where they are talking about fundamentally changing how healthcare is delivered to the population. This is because people are living longer and the cost of an aging population is showing up.
So, basically everyone needs to look at how they live: their diet, exercise and lifestyle and try to reduce the risks. For example eating healthier and doing even moderate exercise can make a big difference to overall health. But more importantly it can help people combat stress which is the number one killer in certain age groups.
Everyone is an individual but the advice given for years about a healthy balanced diet and exercise is true for everyone. Work life balance is also something people need to be aware of – especially as work patterns are changing so fast. The line between work and life is blurring thanks to technology.
So many people can’t switch off from work even when they are at home which wasn’t the case in the past. This can lead to mental exhaustion or overload and so being aware and learning to manage these is key.
Tips for IELTS Speaking
In this part, try to develop your answers and include examples and reasons to support your point of view.How would you answer these IELTS questions about history, historical movies, healthy living, healthcare, healthy lifestyles, and personal health?